At present tooth whitening is accomplished either by using a kit or visiting the dentist. The kit currently available on the market consists of all the items necessary for whitening, including one gutter for the lower jaw and one gutter for the upper jaw; however, the gutters are a standard size and are not customized and made to order. This means that, on the one hand, they are uncomfortable and bothersome for the consumer and on the other hand, because they are not adapted to the unique morphology of each individual, the gel form whitening substance that should normally remain on the tooth enamel spreads throughout the buccal cavity. For this reason the whitening substance has a low concentration (no more than 6%). Under these conditions the results are very unsatisfactory. As a result, consumers return to the dentist for professional tooth whitening using more highly concentrated products.
The dentist or stomataologist will then make individual dental impressions of both jaws. These two impressions will be sent to a prosthetist or assistant who will make a custom size gutter for each jaw. Obviously, a space is provided for each tooth that will receive the gel. Gutters made this way are perfectly stable, and they adapt perfectly to the patient's morphology. They are then sent to the dentist or stomataologist. After explaining their use to the patient, the dentist gives the patient the gutters and the professional whitening product which is in a 22% concentration. The patient applies the professional product to the trays at home, wears them for several hours or overnight, and does this for several days. The results can then be observed.
The present invention also relates to a device for the maintenance and fabrication of custom dentures or dental apparatus without visiting a dentist, using a kit. At present the conventional, simplified fabrication of a dental apparatus is done by a dental prosthetist using dental impressions taken by a dentist that are accompanied by a prescription. In other words, the ultimate purchaser of the dental apparatus never knows the fabricator.
Thus, the dentist or stomataologist takes dental impressions of the patient, tooth, color, occlusion, and sends the information along with a prescription or an order form to his prosthetist, who will fabricate the apparatus and send it to him. He summons his patient and readapts the apparatus and positions it on the patient.
The technique is for the dentist to fill a dental impression of the lower jaw. Various material exist for this purpose, packaged in varying degrees of viscosity (sticks, cartridges for mixing guns, powder, capsules, pots or tubes as indicated).
To take an impression, the dentist or stomataologist dabs the interior of the impression tray with the adhesive recommended for the material he intends to use; this ensures tight adhesion between that material and the impression tray, preventing it from separating when the impression tray is removed from the mouth. The patient is seated alongside in the chair.
The dentist then prepares the impression taking material. For example, for an alginate impression, he mixes powder and water in a bowl that he stirs with a spatula, following the manufacture's recommended mixing time and water/powder ratio. He fills the impression tray with the resulting paste and spreads it uniformly on the edges of the tray. The patient opens his mouth and the dentist diagonally introduces the tray filled with impression taking material. By pivoting it slightly, he moves the handle of the impression tray towards the central axis of the mouth and passes it by the middle of the lips so that the two axes coincide. He separates the lip from the jaw involved with the impression tray and applies digital pressure to push slightly toward the base of the vestibule or the gum so the material flows over the entire jaw. When he feels the base of the gum stopping him, he stops pushing, holds the impression tray in place and waits for the material to harden. When the material is hard (material hardening is ascertained by touching the material that has spread through the perforations in the impression tray), he removes the tray slightly on the side to allow air to enter and then completely removes the impression tray. The impression is thus formed; it is inside the impression tray and will be sent to the prosthetist along with the tray.
Next the dentist takes an impression of occlusion and tooth shade. All of this information and the type of apparatus desired are entered on an order from or a prescription and all are sent to the prosthetist. The dental prosthetist receives the impressions and the prescription. He follows the instructions of the prescriber and fabricates the dental apparatus which he sends to the dentist. The dentist makes the final regulations and adjustments and places the apparatus in the patient's mouth.